"Alright, looks like I've got everything…" I muttered, counting my items, now no longer in the piggy bank but in a "Void Bag," an upgraded version of it.
It looked like a small blue sack with its top tied by a rope. But its advantage was that the moment I "pulled" it into reality, it seemed to bind itself to me and simply… disappear. Meaning, it could appear in my hand or beside me at any moment, but in passive mode it stayed somewhere in its own interdimensional space, while I still had constant access to it.
Over the past three days, I… didn't fully come to my senses, didn't find the meaning of life, and didn't exactly come to terms with the fact that I could pull things out of "non-reality" into "reality." More like these days allowed me to let the pain of loss settle and realize that life doesn't end with pain alone. Especially since I'd already had more than enough of it… even in this world. Even if it wasn't entirely mine…
My thoughts stopped jumping from one thing to another, from wanting to pull out the Death Star one moment to food from the world of Food Wars the next. I suspect stress didn't do my psyche any favors… but I'm glad I didn't completely lose it, since I managed to realize that and give in to… not rage. Well, that too crossed my mind, age and all.
More like procrastination. Or simply laziness, gluttony, and games. With my abilities, I could easily get some money, duplicate it, and then buy hot chocolate and good food at Starbucks, Tim Hortons, or any other place, just to relax.
And it actually helped.
It felt lighter inside. I even made a small grave on top of the mountain where I buried my old T-shirt and shorts stained with blood… mine and my mother's. I spent several hours talking beside it, and with every second I felt lighter, and… almost as if I could feel her approval, like she was рядом, smiling at me.
Over these days, I made serious progress in Terraria, getting a lot of interesting Hardmode items, but I didn't forget about other games either. I started playing Skyrim, though I hadn't pulled anything from it yet. There just wasn't any real need.
"Hmm… why not…" I said, pulling a Mana Crystal from my "inventory," which in the game increased mana by twenty points. "Alright… just crush it… huh—" I exhaled as a wave of coolness and heat spread through my entire body. It was… unexpectedly pleasant.
To create one Mana Crystal, you needed five Fallen Stars, which were pretty common in Terraria. At least every in-game night I got at least five stars, so… now I started pulling them out and using them. I stopped at the twenty-first crystal when I crushed it and it didn't disappear like the others.
"So the in-game limit works here too…" I muttered with slight disappointment, realizing I couldn't increase my mana further this way.
"Whoa…"
All around me, the plants seemed to get a boost. The greenery on this part of the mountain became brighter, livelier… bigger. Everything grew, even one of the trees became taller and fuller.
"Alright, now Water Bolt." I pulled out a magic book from Terraria. Technically, it counted as a magic weapon, and before, holding it, I felt nothing. But now… it was like I had learned a skill, just like in games.
Extending my hand, I willed it—and a stream of glowing water shot out at high speed, piercing a tree and continuing onward, drilling into rock…
"Pretty strong… what if I hold it longer…"
Basically, Water Bolt acted like a high-pressure stream, capable of traveling up to three kilometers if unobstructed, slicing through trees and even stone. And I could use it for a long time… which was strange. In the game, mana drained quickly, but here I stood for about an hour, continuously casting it without feeling any exhaustion.
Next… I pulled out rings from Diablo that boosted my stats. First, the Stone of Jordan ring, which increased mana by twenty-five percent and boosted lightning damage.
Another ring was called "Dwarf Star": +40 health, +40 max stamina, faster stamina recovery by 15%, and reduced incoming magic damage.
Raven Frost: +150–250 attack rating, +15–45 cold damage, +15–20 dexterity, +40 mana, +20% cold absorb, Cannot Be Frozen.
And since I could pull duplicates if my character had multiple, I ended up wearing seven rings, three of which were Stone of Jordan.
"Alright, they don't seem to get in the way…" I checked how they felt, and surprisingly, I barely noticed them. "Hope my luck doesn't drop me into some demon world…"
I raised the portal gun and fired at the rock. Over time, I had experimented with it. Now that I had unlimited copies, I didn't worry about energy anymore. When holding it, I could control it mentally thanks to a sort of neural interface, but I could also open a holographic map showing where I was, which reality, which planet, and even name locations. All places were saved, and I could return anytime… except my original reality. It was gone. As if… it no longer existed.
"Alright, surprise me…" I stepped through the portal… and found myself in a ruined city. "Hm." I looked around, trying to understand where I was. Soon, I saw the first "people"…
"Zombies…?" I muttered, then pulled out the Database Computer and sat on a car hood. "Seriously? No humans at all… Well, bye then…" I opened another portal beside me, then another one leading directly to the local sun. This portal could block radiation… but after stepping out, I changed that setting so it no longer blocked anything. In short… I think the Earth would clean itself up… yeah…
"Luke, I…" I saw a dark figure in a helmet standing before a young guy missing a hand, holding a lightsaber. The figure turned toward me.
"Oops, sorry, carry on. He's your father!" I blurted out and stepped through another portal, pulling out a hoverboard before entering since I saw there was no ground on the other side.
This time I ended up… on a snowy mountain. Correction, a snowy mountain… and next to me, a palace of ice was forming.
"...I'm never going back! The past is in the past!" a melodic voice sang, throwing me off. The palace kept growing, gaining shape and detail. "Let it go, let it go! Turn away and slam the door! Let it go, let it go! Let the storm rage on!" A beautiful white-haired girl walked toward the balcony, confidence and power in her movements… and then she saw me hovering nearby and froze.
"Uh…" I said awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Honestly, this was awkward for both of us. And considering what I knew… probably even more for me.
"W-who are you?!" she exclaimed, pointing at me, and a wave of cold spread outward. Good thing I had a ring that prevented freezing.
"Whoa, easy there," I raised my hands, showing I meant no harm. "I ended up here by accident and just… froze… I mean, uh… yeah…"
Yeah, definitely not smooth with women.
"..."
She stayed on guard, staring at me wide-eyed, especially at the hoverboard.
"Are you… like me?"
"I can't sing."
"I mean… a mage? You can use magic? You're flying!" she pointed at my feet.
"This is an artifact for flight. It's called a hoverboard. May I?" I gestured toward the balcony. She hesitated, then stepped aside and nodded, so I carefully landed and stepped off it. "Like I said, I really did end up here by accident… I'm a traveler."
"I… my name is Elsa." She tried to look more regal and imposing. "State your name!"
"Victor… you can just call me Vic. And… is that ice magic? Or cold?" I asked, looking around. "You'd make a pretty good architect…"
Yeah… definitely not smooth.